Early Resolution Now Applies in Vancouver and North Vancouver: What Happens Before You Can File

If you are separating and you live in Vancouver or on the North Shore, the route into family court changed underneath you. Since 6 November 2025, the Provincial Court registries at Vancouver (Robson Square) and North Vancouver — along with Richmond, Sechelt and Pemberton — have operated as Early Resolution Registries. For most family applications, you can no longer simply fill in a form and file it. Three steps come first.

This is not a minor procedural footnote. It changes the order of operations for anyone starting a Provincial Court family case in the Lower Mainland, and it catches people out.

Key takeaways

  • Vancouver (Robson Square) and North Vancouver Provincial Court registries became Early Resolution Registries on 6 November 2025. A further expansion on 1 May 2026 brought in most remaining registries in the Vancouver Coastal, Vancouver Fraser, Vancouver Island and Interior regions.
  • Before filing most family applications, you must complete three things: a needs assessment, a parenting education program, and at least one consensual dispute resolution session.
  • The requirements apply to Provincial Court family matters — parenting arrangements, guardianship, contact, child support, spousal support and companion animals. They do not apply to divorce or the division of family property, which must be dealt with in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
  • Urgent matters are treated differently. If you are at risk, do not wait — the process is not designed to delay applications where safety is at issue.
  • The model is not yet province-wide. Registries in the Northern region have not been designated.

Current as of 12 August 2026.

What actually changed

British Columbia has been moving family cases away from a "file first, talk later" model for several years. The Early Resolution process began as a pilot in Victoria, then Surrey and Port Coquitlam. In April 2025 it expanded to Abbotsford, Chilliwack and New Westminster. In November 2025 it reached the two registries most relevant to our clients — Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, and North Vancouver. On 1 May 2026 the province designated most remaining registries in four of its five court regions.

The reasoning behind it is straightforward. Most separating families do not need a judge to decide anything. They need information, a structured conversation, and someone to help them narrow the dispute. The Ministry of the Attorney General has pointed to evaluation data from the Surrey registry indicating that roughly 57% of families resolved their matter without going before a judge. Whether or not that number holds everywhere, the direction is clear: the court wants the fight narrowed before it reaches a courtroom.

The three steps you must complete

1. Needs assessment

You meet with a family justice counsellor or child support officer. This is a screening and triage conversation, not a hearing. They look at what your case is really about, whether there are safety concerns, whether there is a power imbalance between you and the other party, and which resolution route fits. They will also identify whether your matter should be exempted from the process altogether.

Take this seriously. What you disclose here shapes how your file is handled. If there has been family violence, coercive or controlling behaviour, or if you are frightened of the other party, say so plainly at this stage.

2. Parenting education program

If your case involves children, you complete a parenting-after-separation program. It covers how separation affects children at different ages, how conflict between parents shows up in a child's behaviour, and what workable parenting arrangements look like in practice. It is usually available online.

Parents often expect this to be a formality. In our experience the parents who engage with it properly tend to arrive at the next stage with more realistic expectations — which is precisely the point.

3. Consensual dispute resolution

You attend at least one facilitated session aimed at reaching agreement. Depending on your case this may be mediation with a family justice counsellor, or a session with a private mediator or other qualified professional. You do not have to reach a full agreement. You do have to genuinely participate.

Only once these steps are complete — or you have been formally exempted — can you file most family applications at a designated registry.

Which court are you actually in?

This is the single most common point of confusion, and getting it wrong costs time and money.

Issue Provincial Court Supreme Court of BC
Parenting arrangements and parenting time Yes Yes
Guardianship and contact with a child Yes Yes
Child support Yes Yes
Spousal support Yes Yes
Companion animals (pets) Yes Yes
Divorce No Yes
Division of family property and debt No Yes
Division of pensions No Yes
Protection orders Yes Yes
Early Resolution requirements apply Yes, at designated registries No

If your separation involves a house, a pension, a business interest, or you need an actual divorce order, part or all of your case belongs in the Supreme Court — and the Early Resolution requirements do not govern that filing. Many families in Vancouver have both: a Supreme Court file for the property and the divorce, and issues that could be dealt with in either court. Working out the right forum at the beginning is one of the more consequential early decisions in a separation.

When the process does not apply

The Early Resolution requirements are not absolute. There are exemptions, and urgency is the important one. If someone's safety is at risk, or if there is a genuine emergency involving a child, the process is not intended to stand in the way of getting before a judge.

If you are experiencing family violence, or you are afraid of what the other party will do, that is a conversation to have immediately — with a lawyer, or with police if you are in danger. You can read more about the orders available in our overview of protection orders in BC. Do not assume you have to complete three procedural steps before anyone will listen to you.

Exemptions also exist for certain consent matters and specific circumstances. A family justice counsellor can identify these during the needs assessment.

What this means practically

Build in time. Booking a needs assessment, completing the parenting program and attending a dispute resolution session takes weeks, not days. If you are planning around a school year, a lease ending, or a financial deadline, start earlier than feels necessary.

Arrive prepared. The consensual dispute resolution session is far more productive when both parties know what they own, what they owe, and what each of them actually earns. Assembling three years of tax returns, notices of assessment, pay statements, mortgage documents and account balances before that session is time well spent.

Understand that participating is not conceding. Some people worry that engaging in the process signals weakness, or that agreeing to mediate means agreeing to compromise. It does not. You can participate fully and still take a firm position on the issues that matter to you.

Know what you are negotiating about. If children are involved, the dispute resolution session will turn on parenting time and decision-making responsibility — our overview of parenting arrangements in BC sets out the framework a court would apply.

Get advice before, not after. The most useful thing a lawyer does in this process is usually not the filing. It is telling you, before the mediation, what a court would likely do with your facts — so you know whether the deal on the table is a good one. We discuss the wider range of options in our page on alternative dispute resolution and in our approach to collaborative family law.

Does this make things better or worse?

For a family with two reasonable parties and a manageable dispute, the process is a real improvement. It front-loads information, gets both people the same baseline understanding of how parenting and support work, and gives them a structured chance to settle before positions harden and costs mount.

Where it is harder is in cases with a serious power imbalance, or where one party is using process to wear the other down. The screening built into the needs assessment exists precisely to catch those cases, which is why being candid at that stage matters so much.

Frequently asked questions

Does Early Resolution apply everywhere in British Columbia?

No. As of August 2026 the process applies at designated registries across the Vancouver Coastal, Vancouver Fraser, Vancouver Island and Interior regions. Registries in the Northern region have not been designated. The province has indicated further locations may be added.

Do I have to complete Early Resolution before getting a divorce?

No. Divorce is granted by the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and the Provincial Court Early Resolution requirements do not apply to a Supreme Court filing. The same is true of the division of family property, debt and pensions.

What if the other party refuses to participate?

Participation is a requirement of the process, not an optional courtesy. If the other party will not engage, that is something to raise with the family justice counsellor handling your file. Non-participation does not permanently block your case from moving forward.

Can I still have a lawyer if I go through Early Resolution?

Yes. Nothing in the process removes your right to legal advice or to have a lawyer act for you. Many people get advice before the dispute resolution session, attend the session themselves, and then have a lawyer review whatever agreement comes out of it.

How long does the whole process take?

It varies with registry capacity, the complexity of your matter and how quickly both parties book their appointments. Plan for a period of weeks. Ask about current timelines at your registry rather than relying on a general estimate.

Talk to us. If you are separating on the North Shore or in Vancouver and are not sure which court your case belongs in or what you need to complete first, contact Mills Family Law at 778-945-3003. We have offices at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver and on Esplanade West in North Vancouver.

This article provides general information about family law in British Columbia. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Family law outcomes depend heavily on individual facts. For advice about your situation, speak with a lawyer.

Sources

Mills Family Law